Lando Norris named one driver who deserved to win the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix even more than Max Verstappen, who started from P17.
McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris, who finished the 21st round of the season at Sao Paulo in P6 after starting from pole position, was obviously disappointed after the Grand Prix as the Drivers' Championship now seems to be decided.
Max Verstappen, who started the Grand Prix from P17 after an unfortunate qualifying and engine penalty, finished first and also grabbed the point for the fastest lap, extending his lead in the Championship to 62 points with 3 races weekends to go.
However, everything could have been different if Verstappen's bet to stay out in heavy rain and wait for a red flag had not paid off.
Norris, George Russell (who was in the lead), and a few others went to pit around lap 28, which turned out to be the wrong decision when a red flag was triggered on lap 32.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the 24-year-old McLaren F1 driver suggested the positions lost during the red flag were unfortunate and that there was one driver besides Max Verstappen who deserved to win this race even more.
"The wet start is a bit of a gamble. One day, it will go your way, the other day not. That didn't change much."
"All of our position losses were just under the red flag with the free pit stop for the others. Unfortunate, nothing more."
"George probably felt like he won the race today, and he probably deserved to win the race more than anyone else. But sometimes, just unlucky, and the rules go against you."
"A difficult day, I made a couple of mistakes that cost me against George and Charles [Leclerc]. It was a tough day, I did my best. I've had a lot of good races. It was about time something didn't go right."